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Meet ... Robby Nixon in Lebanon

Major: HistoryMinor: Middle East StudiesLocation: Beirut, LebanonStudying: Participating in the Lebanon Summer Fellowship program sponsored by the National Council on US-Arab Relations and will develop post-visit fellowship activities upon his return

Meet ... Michael Curry in Morocco

Major: Digital ForensicsMinor: Criminal Justice, Middle East StudiesLocation: Meknes, MoroccoStudying: Modern Standard Arabic (Classical Arabic) for four hours a day, Monday through Friday in addition to three hours a week of darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect

The College of Liberal Arts offers an Interdisciplinary Minor in Middle East Studies. The 18-credit minor will be supported by several departments within the College and will provide a firm multidisciplinary grounding in the region, its history and culture, and its international relations. The Middle East Studies minor will respond to an increasing demand for a stimulating educational environment to examine the transformation of this region and its peoples in a global context as well as its relevance for US domestic and international policy. In doing so, it will prepare students for expanding job opportunities in related fields.

The program will be housed in one of the participating departments on a rotating basis. The History Department will house the program for the first five years, with oversight provided by the Middle East Studies Advisory Board. Students interested in pursuing the minor should contact Dr. Safa Saracoglu or the Global Education Office.

Curriculum

Core Requirement: One of the following four courses. (3 credits)

HISTORY 145 History of the Muslim World to 1405

HISTORY 146 History of the Muslim World since 1405

HISTORY 456 History of the Modern Middle East

POLISCI 376 Government and Politics of the Middle East

Core Electives: (Core requirement courses can also count as a core elective. However, no single course can double-count as a “requirement” and an “elective” at the same time. Students who take more than one of the core courses may use the extra courses towards their elective requirements.) (15 credits)

FRENCH 402 Contemporary Issues in Francophone Media

ARABIC 101 Arabic I

ARABIC 102 Arabic II

ENGLISH 283 Jewish Fiction: An International Perspective

ARTHSTRY 345 Art History of the Near East

ECONOMIC 340 Economics of the Middle East

HISTORY 457 History of the Early Ottoman Empire

HISTORY 458 History of the Late Ottoman Empire

Students may petition to have the following courses count toward the minor based on content:

EGGS 102 World Cultural Geography

POLISCI 181 Contemporary Issues in World Politics

POLISCI 280 Introduction to International Relations

POLISCI 345 Democratization and Regime Change

ANTHRO 102 Anthropology & World Problems

ANTHRO 320 Contemporary World Cultures

ANTHRO495 Special Topics in Anthropology

TOTAL: 18 credits

Students are encouraged to participate in study abroad, relevant internships and extracurricular activities such as the Model Arab League. Students will work with their departmental internship supervisors and they will receive no more than 6 internship credits toward the minor upon approval of the members of the Middle East Studies Advisory Board.